Mike Weaver's inactivity as WBA Heavyweight champ

[Emon723]

After winning the WBA heavyweight title from John Tate and defending it against Gerry Coetzee in 1980, Weaver defend his belt once a year whereas the great Larry Holmes was fighting 2-3x a year.

Im searching for the WBA rankings from 1981-82 to see the best available challengers for Mike Weaver, but one opponent comes to my mind and that is Trevor Berbick, who went 15 rounds with Holmes and beat Muhammad Ali that same year in '81.

Was Berbick not rated by the WBA despite his win over Ali, a Weaver-Berbick fight could be made at the same time the heavyweight division witness the biggest heavyweight title fight post-Ali in Holmes-Cooney.

Berbick instead fought a young and green Greg Page.

[TBear]

I don't know about Page being green, he had an extensive amateur record was 19-0 as a pro and the #1 contender, but I suppose looking at his long record he was realitively green. But with Weaver alot of his time off was due to his proposed bout with Gerry Cooney being called off after being on and off a few times. Additionally the time off in 80-81 was due to a bit of recovery after the war with Coetzee, which was brutal for both.

Overall I guess Weaver might have fought more if he wasn't Don King's second heavyweight champion!

[Scott9945]

Berbick instead fought a young and green Greg Page.

Page was a very highly regarded heavyweight then and I'm certain he was a solid favorite to beat Berbick.

[Dynamite76]

At the time of the Berbick fight, Greg Page was the #3 contender for both titles.He was #2 for the WBA belt, but ridiculously asked the WBA to drop his ranking because he felt he wasn't ready for a title shot.The Page that Berbick fought was weakened by the weight loss( a career-low, up to that time, 221 1/2 pounds,) and the fact that he had broken his thumb on his right hand in the second round.Once Trevor went to Greg's body, the fight was pretty much a wrap, since Greg was never the strongest guy to begin with.The fight with Cobb should've been made, but thanks to Don King's shenanigans, that was ruined.Weaver was one of those guys who could beat you, but also be beaten.

[greynotsoold]

When I was real young, just getting started, I worked out at the same gym as Mike weaver. Real bad gang neighborhood; security used to have to walk him out, and he was just a journeyman then.
I saw him at an amateur show in 1998 or 1999 and sat next to him and talked to him for 2 hours before I realized who he was. He had put on some weight then, though I understand he has got back in shape since.